Seeing with the Sun
by QueenofDenway
Summary: title's a work in progress. When twins Artemis and Apollo go to the conclave for some sneaky Dalish spying, things don't go as planned. It's regular Inquisition, with twin Inquisitors. I'm going through the main plot with them.
1. It's not the end of the world Is it?

" _'Go to the conclave'_ , they said. _'It'll be fun',_ they said. I'm going to have to bathe for a month to get all this shit off of me!" Grumbled a small, dirty elf as he furiously shook himself dry. "I swear, Artemis, when we get back home, I have some words for the Keeper. Not nice words, either. They're gonna be mean, nasty, spiteful words."

Artemis chuckled. "I'm sure those weren't her exact words, Apollo. It was more like _'Artemis, go with your fool brother to the silly peace meeting and spy on the stinky shems for a bit._ "

"Details, details," Apollo laughed as he sidestepped a puddle." And I'm not just your fool brother. I'm your handsome, suave, _older_ brother."

"Yeah, by 5 minutes. I don't think that counts. Besides, no one can tell. I'm taller and more mature." She stuck her tongue out at him. "I think that counts more than minutes."

Apollo looked affronted. "Excuse me? You take that back, or youre getting a fireball to the face!" He raised his hands up, and a small flame started dancing in his palms.

"All right, all right- no fireballs. Anyways, we should get serious. Have you figured out where we are?"

"Well, we're not in Thedas, that's for sure. I wonder if this could be-" a distant rumble of thunder broke his thoughts, and as he looked up, he noticed massive spiders pouring from the sky. "What the actual fuck," he squeaked as he stumbled backwards into another puddle, landing on his rear.

"I think that's our cue to exit, stage right," said Artemis, and she offered a hand to help him back on his feet. As he righted himself, she asked "so, run now?" He nodded furiously. And so they ran. They ran and ran, until they were stumbling and out of breath.

Eventually they made it to a clearing, with no demon spiders in sight.

"Do you think they're gone?" Panted Artemis, bent over and clutching her knees for support as she calmed herself down.

Apollo glanced around. " I think we're-" he froze, looking off in the distance.

"Apollo, what is it?"She whimpered breathily.

He pointed," Over there. I think... I think I see... A woman?"

"A demon?"

"No, I think she's friendly," he waved, and said," she's calling us over. I can see her waving us towards a...Green light? There's a green light thingy beside her."

"That doesn't sound crazy at all, brother." She sighed, "but I guess it's worth a shot. It has to be better than those demon spi-" A scuttling sound came from behind her. "Speak of the Maker. Well, that settles it. Demon lady, here we come!"

They bolted towards the light, and then, ironically, everything went dark.

* * *

Artemis woke to a fierce pain in her left hand. She blinked herself into awareness, and slowly glanced around the room. After discovering that she was being held in a cell, she found her brother slumped over against a wall about 3 feet from her, to her left. A faint glow was emitting from his side. "Brother!"Artemis tried to yell, but found herself speaking in a hoarse whisper. She tried to move towards him, but found herself also chained to the wall. What in Thedas is going on here? She thought to herself, and glanced down at her wrists. "What the hell!" She exclaimed as her left glowed brightly.

An explosive BOOM shook the room, and she watched in horror as the mark on her hand grew in length up her hand. Dust and shards of ceiling mortar landed in her hair, but she didn't mind. She was more concerned about how bright the mark was getting. It grew brighter by the second, painfully so, both for her eyes and her hand. She bit back a scream.

"Ooooooww. Owowowowoww. What the fuck?!" Artemis turned towards her brother, who was staring at his right hand intensely. "Why are you glowing?" He asked his hand, not expecting a reply. He glanced up at Artemis and said,"my hand is glowing."

She raised her manacled hands and showed him her left palm.

"Your hand is glowing, too. Artie, why are our hands glowing?" His voice started to rise, finally setting into his panic.

He snapped his head towards the door, ears turning. "Someone's coming."

Sure enough, the door opened widely with a BANG, and from it stepped some guards, a toned woman with what looked like a hairy eyeball on a sword emblazoned on her tunic, and what looked like a chantry sister.

"See, my ladies? Awake, just like we said. One of them was screaming their heads off," said a soldier.

"Yes, thank you. You may be dismissed," the strong woman said with a wave of her hand, and the soldiers left with a salute. She turned to the elven siblings as soon as they were gone and said in a loud, commanding voice, "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you both now." She paced between them. "The conclave is destroyed. Everyone is dead except for the two of you."

Apollo's face went white. "D-dead? That's awful! What happened at the conclave?"

The warrior woman faltered for a moment. "You do not know?" Then her face slipped back into her intimidating mask, and she grabbed his wrists. "Explain this."

"We can't," said Artemis in a small voice. Then, "we just woke up with them."

The woman lunged towards her with her hand raised. "You're lying!"

The chantry sister rushed forward and grabbed her arm before she could swing. "Cassandra, we need them."

Cassandra sighed, "Of course, Leliana." Then she turned towards Artemis and asked, in a much softer voice,"What do you know?"

"I remember running. And spiders. And more running."said Artemis. "That's it."

"You forgot about the woman," Apollo interjected.

"A woman?" That got Leliana's attention.

"Yes, ma'am, a woman. We were running from the big-assed demon spiders, and I saw a woman. She reached out to us, and then-" He cut off, and his face twisted into a grimace.

"And then?" Cassandra pushed.

"And then... Nothing. Not one thing. My memory gets all fuzzy after that. _Then_ we woke up in this lovely dungeon of yours. Quite charming, really. The shackles and the smell of old shit really gives this place such a comforting atmosphere. Honestly-"

Cassandra bristled. "Are you mocking me?"

"No, ma'am," Artemis said quickly. "That's how he deals with things. He jokes all the feelings away." She gave him a withering glare. He shrugged unapologetically.

"Leliana, what do you make of them?" Cassandra said without taking her eyes off the twins.

"I do believe we have no choice but to believe them." She shrugged. "I will see you at the forward camp." With that, she turned, and left.

Another explosion wracked the building. "What in Thedas is that?" Apollo winced at the pain crawling up his arm as his hand flared brightly. Cassandra bent down and unchained his hands, and did the same for Artemis.

"It is better to show you," she said in a dark tone. "Follow me."


	2. Two Halves of a Whole Hero

The twins followed the warmaiden outside of the dungeon into what appeared to be-

"Is this the town chantry?" Apollo asked incredulously.

"It is. Why do you ask?" Cassandra returned with a quirk of her brow.

"Nothing much. I was just wondering why your chantry has a dungeon. Like, do all chantries have dungeons? Honestly, I'm curious."

"Have you never been a chantry before?" Asked Cassandra as they walked towards the entrance. She stopped at the door.

Artemis answered. "We're Dalish. We've lived in the woods most of our life. We've barely stepped foot into a village before, let alone a chantry."

The warmaiden furrowed her brows. "I see," she eventually said, and paused with her hands at the doors handles. "Well, you're about to see a whole lot of village in a moment. But be warned. The people of Haven have decided your guilt. They need it. They mourn our most holy Divine Justinia, head of the chantry. The conclave was hers. It was to be a chance for peace between the rebel mages and the templars. She brought their leaders together. Now they are all dead."

"That's a cheery thought," murmured Apollo, only loud enough for Artemis' keen ears, which resulted in a sharp elbow in his ribs. Then, in a louder voice meant for Cassandra, "Okay, then. Lets get this over with!"

Cassandra opened the massive chantry door and ushered them outside. Artemis blinked at the sudden light, blinded for a moment upon glancing up at the sky.

Apollo whistled softly in perplexed amazement. "What in the great beyond is that?" He held a hand to his eyes as he gazed at the gargantuan green hole in the sky.

"It is exactly that," Cassandra said, shocking them both. "That is what your people call the Fade, correct?"

Apollo nodded absently, still enraptured by the monstrosity looming above them.

The hole grew brighter as they watched, and let out a massive explosion, rattling the ground. Both elves let out a cry of pain and dropped to their knees as the marks flared brightly. They watched in horror as the marks grew on their hands, nearly escaping their palms and creeping towards their wrists.

"Shiiiit. Shitty shit-dick-ass on a fucking halla!" Apollo ground out as he cradled his right hand to his chest.

"We call it the Breach," Cassandra said as they caught their breath. "It's a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour. It is not the only such rift" She had been staring at the Breach as she spoke, but turned to look at them as they stood. She motioned for them to follow as she continued to speak. "It is the largest, however. All were caused by the explosion at the conclave."

"A-an explosion can cause that?" Artemis tripped over a pile of snow as she walked, too focused on Cassandra's words and the glaring looks of the townspeople to pay much attention to the ground. Apollo grabbed her arm and steadied her, which earned him a grateful glance.

"This one did. Unless we act, the Breach may grow until it swallows the world." Cassandra paused in her walking. "Each time the Breach opens, your marks spread, and it is killing you both, "she said grimly. "But your marks may be the key."

"Key to what?" Apollo gulped audibly.

"To closing the breach, idiot," Artemis hissed lowly, and then slapped her brother lightly on the head. Then she turned to Cassandra and said, "We understand."

"Then you'll..." Cassandra trailed off, unsure.

"We'll do whatever we can to stop this madness." Apollo said.

"Thank you," the warmaiden said with a slight smile. "Now come. We must get to the breach as quickly as possible."

The three jogged through the beaten path for a short while, dodging fleeing soldiers and snowdrifts.

"Lovely scenery you have out here," Apollo said after a few moments of tense silence. "I just love all of this snow and trees, and more snow, and more trees, and fire. Did I mention the fire? Gives the whole area a real surreal, cozy glow. Honestly, it's quite rustic."

Cassandra sighed, "Can we please just focus on reaching the forward camp?"

"Of course! But may I ask one more question before I metaphorically zip my mouth shut?"

"One question, elf."

"Alright, first of all, it's Apollo. Apollo of clan Lavellan. And my lovely sister here is Artemis. And second, the real question- what happens if we actually manage to close the breach? Assuming that we don't die in the process, of course."

"I apologize, Apollo," Cassandra said, abashed. "That is actually a valid question. I can promise a fair trial. That is all I can do for you."

"Better than nothing," Apollo said.

The Breach let out another wave, and Artemis lurched to the ground, clutching her left hand in her right. She let out a cry of pain. Apollo stumbled into a nearby tree, leaning heavily on it. His face twisted in pain, and he grunted softly.

"Shiiit." He huffed.

Cassandra helped Artemis back to her feet and said, "The pulses are coming faster. We must get to the Breach as quickly as possible." They stumbled their way to a gate, and she waved her arms toward a guard, who in turn opened the gates up wide for them to pass.

They set back out in a slightly quicker jog this time.

"How did we survive the breach?" Apollo asked absently.

"They said you... stepped out of the rift," Cassandra replied. "Your sister came out first, then you followed. Then you fell unconscious. They said a woman was in the rift behind you. No one knew who she was. Everything farther in the valley was laid to waste, including the temple of sacred ashes. I suppose you'll see soon enough."

They were crossing a bridge at this point. Cassandra froze for a moment as she glanced up at the sky.

"Move!" She yelled at them, ushering them back the way they came. "Get off the bridge!"

Her warning came too late, however, and a big ball of green light came crashing down, collapsing the bridge and sending them all tumbling towards the frozen river below them.

"Demons!" Cassandra cursed loudly as she hopped back onto her feet, unsheathing her sword. "Stay behind me." She shouted at them as she swung at shade that appeared in front of her.

"Will do!" Apollo said readily, until a second shade materialized right in front of him. He turned in a circle quickly, looking for anything he could use as a weapon. "Aha!" He exclaimed as his eyes uncovered a bow and a quiver full of arrows. Beside them were two bloodied daggers. He snatched them up quickly. "Not my preferred method of fighting," he said to himself as he flung the quiver over his shoulder. He threw the daggers toward his waiting sister, and together they made quick work of the demon. After the shade finished dematerializing, they turned towards Cassandra, who was dealing a final blow.

She sheathed her sword and turned towards the twins, and drew it out again almost immediately. She pointed it at Artemis, then at Apollo. "Drop your weapons." She demanded steadily.

Artemis threw the daggers to the ground and raised her empty palms up in surrender. Apollo, however...

"Aw, hell no." He seethed at the warmaiden. "She needs those daggers. I'm pretty sure the Breach isn't gonna be fucking sunshine and daisies."

"What about you?" Demanded Cassandra.

"I'm a mage. I don't need a material weapon." Apollo said. He waved his bow in the air. "But my magic is too unfocused without a staff. I don't wanna hurt Artie."

"I helped train him in the arts of a hunter, which would be more useful in the clan," Artemis said quietly. "It also helps if his mana pool gets drained. He has a backup plan. He's not the greatest with a bow, but he can use it if push comes to shove."

"That is... Smart." Cassandra eventually said after a moment. She sheathed her sword and glanced back up at the Breach. "Pick up the daggers, Artemis," she sighed. "I should remind myself that you come willingly, and I fear you will need them again."

Artemis snatched the dagger back up with a relieved sigh.

The warmaiden ushered them back towards the path. "Come. Let us continue."

The three continued on the beaten path, occasionally stopping to demolish any demons that stood in their path. They had been running for what Apollo felt to be a solid hour.

He opened his mouth to spit out his fourth 'are we there yet?' When he heard a muffled yell.

"We're getting close to a rift," said Cassandra. "You can hear the fighting."

"Who's fighting?" Artemis panted.

"You'll see soon enough."

And see they did. When they finished climbing the steps laid into the ground, the elves encountered an odd sight.

A bald elven mage in ratty travel clothing let out a shard of solid ice at an incoming shade right as a beardless dwarf with an open shirt shot at it with an arrow, all while two soldiers battled oncoming wraiths. To top the whole thing off, a glowing green tear in the air was pulsating, spitting more demons out at them.

"Shit." Apollo whistled lowly.

"We must help them," Cassandra shouted over the fighting.

She and Artemis jumped off the ledge into the fight, while Apollo shot arrow after arrow at the demons.

The last demon fell, and Apollo put away his bow with a sigh. He hated bows. He hated any weapon that wasn't a staff, to be honest. But it was necessary. He had to keep telling himself that. He really didn't feel like frying somebody important by accident. That probably wouldn't go over well. Apollo was so focused on his self- pity that he almost didn't notice the bald elf grab his sisters hand and hold it up to the rift. Sliding himself off the ledge he was still on, he made to walk over to his sister.

"Hey! What are you-" Artemis froze as her hand reacted to the proximity to the rift. A thin thread of light attached itself from the rift to her hand, and she pulled her hand back after the thread started pulling her towards the rift, and the rift exploded into nothingness.

Artemis raised her left hand eye-level and stared in sick fascination.

"What in the Creators names did you do to her?" Apollo demanded, sliding in front of his sister.

"I did nothing," the mage said. "The credit is all hers."

"You mean the mark." Artemis said, still staring at her hand. "Do you think we can close the Breach like we did the rift?"

"Possibly." The elf said with a small smile. "It seems you hold the key to our salvation."

"Good to know." The dwarf spoke up from behind Apollo, who had almost forgotten he was there at all. "I thought we'd be ass-deep in demons forever."

Apollo was really starting to like the dwarf.

"Varric Tethras," the dwarf introduced himself with a flourish. "Rogue, storyteller, and occasionally, unwanted tagalong."

Apollo grinned widely, and said, with a sweeping of his own arms, "Apollo, of clan Lavellan. Mage, unwitting adventurer, and brother to Artemis-"

"Just a simple elf," Artemis interjected. "I'm a hunter."

"It's lovely to meet you, Varric!" Apollo continued. "That's a nice- is that a crossbow? Cool!"

Varric patted his weapon, still cradled in his arms. "Bianca is best thing that ever happened to me."

"You named your crossbow Bianca?" Apollo snorted.

He stroked the crossbow gently before fitting it onto his back. "She's one of a kind. And she'll be great help in the valley."

"Absolutely not!" Cassandra said loudly. "Your help is appreciated, Varric, but it is-"

"Have you been to the valley, Seeker? Your soldiers aren't in control anymore. You need me." He said smugly.

Cassandra scowled and stalked away.

There were a few seconds of silence after that, until the mage raised his hand.

"My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions," he said with a smile. "I am pleased you both still live."

Varric piped in, "he means he kept those marks from killing you while you slept."

"Well, um, thanks," Apollo said. "Hey, do you think my mark can do the same thing to the rift as Artie?"

"It is possible," Solas said. "We shall simply have to see." He opened his mouth to say something more, but was cut off by Cassandra impatiently ushering them all back towards the path.

They almost made it to the forward camp without encountering any demons. They did, however, have to make frequent pauses in their path because of the twins' reactions to the Breach expanding, and one stop was purely due to Apollo finding a staff on a corpse. He all but skipped to it, ignoring the body as he snatched the prize away.

The group had just made it to the gate, when they saw it.

"Another rift!" Cassandra shouted at the group.

They took their positions, and between the five of them they made short work of the rift. Apollo all but ran to the rift, right hand outstretched, and closed it with a resounding POP.

"Sweet! Mine works, too!" He said with a grin, raising his glowing right palm for everyone to see.

The gates opened after the rift had been closed, and they strode inside. Cassandra took the lead as they walked across the bridge the camp was stationed on.

Apollo spotted Leliana talking to a chantry cleric ahead of them, and could make out snippets of their conversation. The cleric seemed adamant about just abandoning the fight against the breach, and Leliana was reprimanding him for it. The bickering came to a stop as they reached them.

"Ah. Here they come." Spat the cleric.

Leliana glanced up at them and sighed with relief. "You made it! Chancellor Roderick, this is-"

"I know who they are," he said sharply. Then he turned to Cassandra and said, "As Grand Chancellor of the chantry, I hereby order you to take these criminals to Val Royeaux to face execution!"

Cassandra glared at the Chancellor. "'Order me?' You are a glorified clerk. A bureaucrat!"

"And you are a thug, but a thug who supposedly serves the chantry." Roderick spat.

Leliana turned towards him. "We serve the most holy, Chancellor, as you well know."

Apollo was getting whiplash from the conversation, and he would've said as much if it weren't for Artemis digging her nails into his left arm in warning. She knew him too well, honestly.

Distracted by the breach opening yet again and causing searing pain to go up his arm, he missed the Chancellors next words.

"Can we just get on with closing the damn Breach already?" He ground out, after a moment of silence. "I'm real tired of just standing here while this mark eats away my hand."

Chancellor Roderick begged Cassandra to call a retreat, ignoring Apollo completely, which pissed the elf off royally.

"We can stop this, before it's too late." Cassandra said to Roderick.

"How?" The Chancellor said in a tired tone. "You won't survive long enough to reach the temple, even with all your soldiers."

"We must get to the temple. It's the quickest route. These elves are dying, Chancellor. We have to get them to the Breach."

"But it's not the safest," Leliana said. "Our forces could cause a distraction while we go through the mountains."

Cassandra sighed. "We lost contact with an entire squad on that path. It's too risky." She turned to the twins. "How do you think we should proceed?"

"Wait, you're asking us?" Artemis asked in shock.

"You're the ones being put in the most danger, " Cassandra said. "I feel it's only right to ask your opinions."

The twins stared at each other in thought for a moment, and seemed to reach a conclusion.

"We should charge with the soldiers." Apollo said. "It's only fair. And it's the quickest route."

The group headed back out, following the road down to where the soldiers were fighting. They found another rift on the grounds spitting out demons comprised of rage and terror. Artemis went to work on a terror, and Apollo whipped out his newly acquired staff and started blasting a rage demon with bursts of ice. When the wave of demons had cleared, Artemis, closest to the rift, held out her left hand to close it, but no connection made. She flung her hand out again, and again, to no avail.

"Let me try," Apollo offered. He shot his right hand towards the rift, and growled in frustration. "What the fuck."

As he spoke, the rift came alive again, spawning more demons.

"What's going on?" Artemis cried.

"Let's exhaust it again and see if we can close it afterwards." Solas said.

They cleared the second wave of demons and Artemis tried again to close the rift. She raised her left palm towards the tear and closed it easily.

"What in the Beyond was _that_ about?" Apollo panted, leaning on his staff.

"I think this rift may have been stronger than the rifts before. We had to weaken it before it could be destroyed." Solas offered. "Though I do not know for certain."

"Does that mean that the Breach is gonna be a bitch to close?" Apollo groaned. "It is, isn't it?"

A tall human in full armor strode over to them after the last of the demons in the area were cleared. "Cassandra. Thank Andraste you're here. We're on our last legs. Have you brought help?" He turned to the twins with curiosity sparkling in his eyes.

"Commander Cullen, meet Artemis and Apollo. They are the elves that fell out of the Breach. We're taking them now to see it."

Apollo bowed dramatically to the Commander, and Artemis nodded her head in greeting.

"We hope we can help," Apollo said.

"So do I," Cullen said roughly. "We've lost a lot of good men and women to this Maker damned thing." He waved them along to the entrance of the conclave, and turned back to the remaining soldiers.

They walked into the temple, taking in the horrors that were left from the explosion. Bodies had been petrified by the explosion, frozen forever in their agony. They walked forward, passing piles of charred corpses. Apollo almost retched at the sight, and he knew he's have nightmares for the following months.

He was so on edge from the current situation that he almost pissed himself when a voice from behind him exclaimed, "You're here! Thank the Maker."

He spun around quickly, as did the others.

"Leliana," Cassandra breathed out a sigh of relief. "Have your men take up positions around the temple."

Leliana nodded, and turned to her soldiers, shouting orders at them.

"Are you ready?" Cassandra turned to the siblings.

"As we'll ever be," Apollo said.

They took off towards the rift that was directly under the Breach, after Solas told them that that particular rift was the key to closing it once and for all. A few steps along the wall they froze in shock as they headed an echo of a voice begin to speak.

 _"Keep the sacrifice still."_

"You guys are hearing this, too, right?" Apollo said shakily. He look to the others, who gave nods of reassurance. "Good, because for a second there, I thought I was going crazy."

They started walking again after a few seconds of silence. Solas stated that it was probably an after-effect from the explosion. Apollo noticed some strange red tinted lyrium growing on the wall, and he reached out to touch it. A quick yelp from Varric, however, stopped him in his place.

"That's red lyrium!" Varric said darkly. "What's it doing here? It's deadly, guys. Don't touch the stuff."

"Duly noted," Apollo said, and retracted his hand gingerly.

 _"Somebody help me!"_

"That was the Divine!" Cassandra said.

They reached the end of the stone path, and dropped down to the ground. Suddenly, the air around them swirled with green clouds that took form in front of them. The Divine, held up by magic was being interrogated by a dark, shapeless form.

 _"Keep the sacrifice still," said the shapeless mass._

 _"Somebody, help me!" The Divine shouted, struggling against her invisible bonds._

Suddenly, another shape started to form.

 _"Woah, what's going on here?" The voice unmistakably sounded like Apollo._

"You were at the Conclave!" Cassandra rounded on them. "What happened?"

"Honestly, we know as much as you do! We promise! We told you everything we remember!" Apollo pleaded with the warmaiden.

Cassandra sighed, and turned away from them. "I apologize. Now, we must return our focus on the rift."

Solas spoke up then, "We will have to open it to truly re-close it. All manner of creatures could be waiting on the other side of the rift."

"That means demons," Cassandra shouted up at the archers that had made their posts surrounding the rift.

Artemis reached out to the breach with her left hand on Cassandra's signal, but nothing happened. She turned to Apollo.

"Why is it not working?" She asked Solas.

"I am not certain," Solas replied. He pondered for a moment, glanced at her left hand, and then glanced at Apollo's right. "Maybe... Try holding your hand out again, Artemis."

She did, and still the rift did nothing.

"Now, Apollo, you hold yours up as well. Maybe the two of you together can open the rift."

Apollo raised his right hand, and just as soon as he did, both of their marks flared brightly. A string of light wove between their outstretched hands, and then attached itself to the rift, tugging it open.

The string slapped itself back to them when the rift opened, knocking them backwards.

"Wooah," Apollo said, and then yelled, "SHIT," as the rift expanded drastically, pushing out a massive pride demon.

The battle took hours. Artemis and Apollo took turns disrupting the barrier on the demon, tiring them both out. Cassandra took the demon head-on, taunting it any time it laid its beady eyes on the elves. Varric and Solas hit it from a distance, both careful to keep its attention drawn to them.

Apollo had just finished snapping the rift shut for the third time when he noticed the shades appearing from the ground, heading straight for Cassandra. "Hey, shitbrains!" He yelled, drawing not only the attention of the shades, but of nearly everyone fighting close by. They paused in their fighting for a moment as he let out a stream of lightning towards the shades, and then shot out a series of fireballs at them. His mana pool depleted at that point in the fight, he let out a strangled, tired cry and ran towards them, brandishing his staff like a cudgel. Cassandra joined him, and together they took out the shades with a few last hits.

The battle carried on for a while longer, and with a final snap of the rift being drawn shut, the pride demon fell to the ground, panting. With a final blow dealt by Artemis' daggers, the demon lay dead.

"Phew. Fucking finally," Apollo was leaning hard on his staff, and he was covered in dirt and bruises. His short, messy black hair was covered in grime and soot, and his bottom lip was busted, with a line of crusty dry blood making its way down his sharp jaw.

Artemis wasn't faring much better. Her short, inky hair was a tangled mess, nearly colored brown from all the dirt. She had a gash along her right cheek that was still dripping with blood, and she was limping heavily, favoring her left leg.

"Close the rift! You must seal it now!" Cassandra said, tiredly.

The twins raised their palms to the rift one final time, and together, they worked to draw it shut. Artemis collapsed as the rift pulsed one final time, and snapped closed with a resounding POP.

Apollo took a staggering step towards her, and promptly crumpled to the ground as well.

"That... Was something." He said, and laid his head to the ground. The last thing he saw was the Breach, stable but still present, and then everything went black.


	3. Behold! The Fearsome Inquisition!

**Welcome back to Seeing With the Sun! Now that we're getting into the story, I feel like I should explain some things. First, my babies- the twins are 25 years old. Just thought I should mention that. Second, I'm probably going to break the chapters into parts that will be in a specific perspective. So when you see a –name-, the next part is going to be focused on them. Third, and finally, thank you to my reviewers, madisonic and Rae the Guest, I'm giving you internet hugs right now.**

* * *

Chapter 3) Behold! The Fearsome Inquisition

-Apollo-

Apollo woke up on a soft bed, warm and, for the most part, content. His right hand was prickling, but it no longer felt like it was trying to detach itself from his arm with a rusty knife, and his body ached all over. He sat up quickly as he remembered the events prior- the Breach, the pride demon, and the pain. Gods above, the pain. He remembered that all-too vividly, and just thinking about it made his hand ache something fierce.

He distracted himself by glancing about the room. _'If this is a prison cell, I'm an old Orlesian dowager,'_ Apollo thought, chuckling to himself. The room was average, he assumed. He'd never actually been in a house before, and the aravels were no comparison to what he was currently viewing. Speaking of aravels... _'I wonder where they put Artemis. I should go find her.'_

He stretched and swung his feet out from under the single blanket, gingerly placing his small, bare feet onto the icy stone floor.

"Piss, that's cold," he hissed, crinkling his nose in distaste. He stood up after a few more moments of discomfort, and made to find his clothes. Digging around the room, Apollo found a blueish grey tunic and some black breeches, and spotted some thick boots by the door. "Might as well," he said to himself. "It's probably too cold to run around barefoot."

He removed the nightshirt he had been wearing, and tried not to think too long about the fact that someone had changed his clothes without him knowing. He shivered, and grabbed his breeches. He stuck his legs into the openings, and as he was struggling to pull them up past his ass, the door opened and a young elf stepped inside, along with a frigid blast of icy air behind her. He froze with his hands on his breeches, thankfully high enough in the front to hide his unmentionables, and shrieked. She stood frozen as well, mouth agape and eyes wide, her face quickly turning a deep shade of crimson.

"I- I'm so sorry!" She squeaked out, and turned away from him. "I didn't know you were awake! I swear!"

Apollo hastily finished pulling up his breeches and grabbed his tunic. "It's all right," he said after pulling the cloth over his head. "I'm decent, now. You can turn around."

She turned around, still blushing, and dropped onto her hands and knees. "I beg your forgiveness, and your blessing. I am but a humble servant," she pleaded.

He stared at her in shock, and after a brief moment of silence he let out an intelligent, "huh?"

"You are back in Haven, my Lord." She said nervously, still bowed low. "They say you saved us. You and your sister. The breach stopped growing, just like the marks on your hands. It's all anyone has talked about the last three days."

Three days. No wonder Apollo felt so well rested. "Then it's over?" He asked hopefully.

"The Breach is still in the sky, but that's what they say." She stood back up quickly. "I'm sure Lady Cassandra will want to know you've wakened. She said, _'at once.'_ "

"Where is she?" Apollo asked.

"In the chantry, with the Lord Chancellor. _'At once'_ , she said." And with that, the elf scurried out the door.

Apollo sighed as he stared at the open doorway. "'At once', she said," he mumbled to himself, as he pulled on his boots. He closed the door as he left the room, and glanced around, looking for the chantry. Or, he made to look for the chantry. As he turned from the door he was greeted by a group of people standing on either side of the dirt path that led to his room.

"That's the Herald," his keen ears picked up someone whispering.

"I heard he was taken from the fade by Andraste herself!" Another voice muttered.

"His sister, as well. They saved us all."

He nervously took a few steps down the path, only to be barraged with more whispers about his heroism. He glanced around, and spotted a familiar tuft of black hair exiting a room in front of him. He picked up his pace.

He was only a few steps away from her by the time Artemis finally noticed him there, having been just as taken aback by the amount of people tittering about in excitement.

She flew into his arms when she saw him, and squeezed him tightly. "I was so afraid when I woke up alone, that something terrible had happened to you!" She mumbled into his tunic.

Apollo squeezed her back for a brief second, and then pulled away and held her shoulders at arms length. She looked better than when he had last seen her, bruised and battered from the fight. The gash on her cheek was already almost completely gone, and she was standing straight. She was wearing a tunic similar to his, the color the same shade of blue, and her hair was such a wild mess, she must not have had the time or tools to tame it back into her usual style, straight and pushed back. Actually, she looked even more identical to him with her hair mussed, and he was certain if they closed their eyes, you couldn't tell them apart.

"We need to head up to the chantry," Apollo said, after hugging her tightly again. "Cassandra is waiting for us, apparently."

The two headed up the path leading to the chantry hand in hand.

"I wonder what Cassandra wants from us. We closed the breach, didn't we?" Artemis asked as they walked.

Apollo shrugged, and then grinned. "Maybe she wants to give us a fruit basket or something for closing the breach."

"I seriously doubt that," Artemis said, biting back a laugh.

They reached the door to the chantry, and as they walked in, their sharp elven hearing picked out a heated argument coming from behind the door in the back of the room.

They crept forward, picking out bits of the conversation. Apparently the chancellor was behind the door, as well as Cassandra and Leliana. The three were apparently bickering about... Them? The chancellor was adamant about sending the two to Val Royeaux, and the Seeker was having none of it. Apollo snickered at their exasperated tones. He was a little proud of the fact that he didn't even have to be in the room to cause people grief, though he didn't like the fact that the chancellor demanded that they pay for something they definitely didn't do.

When the three had gone silent, Apollo felt it time to make their presence known. He tapped a small tune into the door with his fist, swung the door open, and strode inside, Artemis trailing behind him. He leaned his hip against a chair and crossed his arms, shooting a haughty look at the chancellor.

"I couldn't help but hear," he drawled, wiggling his ears for empathis, "You're planning on shipping us to Val Royeaux on the morrow? Pray tell, what happened about that trial we were promised?"

"There will be no trial," Cassandra said.

"Excuse me?" Apollo exclaimed, straightening up.

"My apologies. I should have worded that better." Cassandra held her hands up to stop his outburst. "What I meant was: You do not need a trial. I have decided your innocence."

Roderick whipped his head towards her. "You walk a dangerous line, Seeker."

She turned towards him. "The Breach is stable, but it is still a threat. I will not ignore it."

"Wait- so we didn't close the Breach?" Apollo asked. "We did everything we could!"

"It almost killed us." Artemis looked like she might cry.

"Yet you still live. A convienent result, so far as you're concerned." The chancellor sneered at her.

Apollo stepped in front of her, and glowered at the chancellor with as much ferocity as he could. Being a head and a half shorter than the man, it didn't have quite the effect he wanted.

"Have a care, chancellor," Cassandra said, and Roderick turned from the pair to face her. "The Breach is not the only threat we face."

Leliana stepped in. "Someone was behind the explosion at the conclave," She said, and furrowed her brows. "Someone Most Holy did not expect. Perhaps they died with the others, or have allies who yet live."

Apollo blinked slowly. He must have been hearing things, because it almost sounded like Leliana had been accusing Roderick of blowing up the conclave.

"I am a suspect?" The chancellor looked just as startled as Apollo felt.

"You, and many others." Leliana said.

"But not the prisoners?"

Apollo really was going to get whiplash from watching the conversation.

Cassandra slammed her hands on the table. "I heard the voices in the temple. The Divine called out the them for help."

"So their survival? Those things on their hands? All coincidence?" Roderick crossed his arms.

"Providence. The Maker sent them to us in our darkest hour." Cassandra said reverently.

There was a brief pause when the three humans turned to look at the elves. The twins glanced at the group, and then at each other, and then back to the group.

Apollo burst into heavy laughter, bending over with the force, and slapping his knee for effect. "That's a good one, Cassandra," he said as he wiped a tear from his eye.

Artemis couldn't help but laugh as well, her mirth coming in a soft, breathy giggle. She placed a hand on her brother's back for support, since he was still bent over. "Because we totally believe in the Maker." She shot Apollo another glance and the two broke back out into a fresh peal of laughter.

Cassandra placed a hand on her forehead and groaned. "You don't have to believe you were chosen, but I do. Please, just hear us out."

Apollo straightened up, still grinning widely. "Okay, okay. I'm good. We're good. We're listening."

"The Breach remains, and your marks are still our only hope of closing it." Leliana said after they had both calmed down.

Chancellor Roderick looked as if her were about to say something when Cassandra threw a large, old, dusty book onto the table in front of him.

She turned to face him, and pointed a finger at the tome. "You know what this is, chancellor? A writ from the Divine, granting us the authority to act."

"You can't mean..." The chancellor looked dazed.

Apollo and Artemis shared a confused look. "What does that mean, exactly?" Apollo asked.

Cassandra straightened her back, and said in a steady voice, " As of this moment, I declare the Inquisition reborn!" She strode over to Roderick, poking a finger at his chest. "We will close the Breach, we will find those responsible, and we will restore order. With or without your approval."

The chancellor gave her a withering glare, and then turned on his heel and strode out of the room quickly.

"I'm still a bit confused, here," Apollo said, hopping up to sit on the edge of the table.

"This is the Divine's directive: rebuild the Inquisition of old. Find those who will stand against the chaos. We aren't ready. We have no numbers, no leader, and now no Chantry support." Leliana said.

Cassandra sighed. "We have no choice: we must act now." She turned back to the twins. "With you both at our side."

Apollo glanced at Artemis, who shrugged, and then nodded. "Do you think we should?" He asked her in a whisper so low, only she could hear it.

"Well, we have to, don't we?" She replied in the same low whisper. "We can't very well sit it out, when our bloody hands are the only thing that may stop it. Even if my only wish is to just go back home to our clan."

He sighed. "I guess you're right," he said, returning to a normal tone. "I can just feel the life-threatening situations piling up on us already. All right, Cassandra, Leliana. I'm in."

Artemis smiled timidly. "Me too."

Cassandra let out a sigh of relief. "Wonderful. Now, if you please, we have much to prepare. You may go explore the grounds of Haven, if you wish." The two were shooed out of the chantry.

"Well, I guess we should look around." Apollo said, as the chantry doors closed in front of them.

* * *

The two spent a what felt like weeks just wandering the grounds, waiting for something to happen.

They were walking along the path, giving each other suggestions on what they could do next, until they spotted Varric standing in what was becoming his usual spot around a small fire. When he noticed them, he waved them over.

"Well if it isn't my two new favorite elves, Willow and Ember!" He said brightly.

"Willow and Ember?" Artemis tilted her head in question.

"Your nicknames," Varric said. "It's still a work in progress. Willow, for you, and Ember for your brother, because I noticed he prefers to conjure fire. Most people are easy to nickname. I just know it by first glance, like Chuckles."

"Chuckles?" Apollo was grinning.

"Solas, of course." Varric also smiled widely.

"Of course." Apollo sniggered. "What about the rest?"

"Well, there's Curly, that's Cullen, and theres Red -Leliana."

"Wait, Cullen..." Artemis furrowed her brow. "Wasn't that the dashing Commander we met before we reached the Breach? The blonde one?"

"Dashing?" Varric chuckled. "I'm sure he'll appreciate the compliment."

Apollo was about to make some witty comment that was sure to embarrass his sister when his eye caught something moving behind Varric's head. It was Solas, silently drifting towards them.

"I see you two are doing much better than you last were when I saw you." He inclined his head in greeting to the twins as he reached the small fire.

"As if something as small as the Breach could hurt the Wonder Twins," Apollo scoffed. "We're the Dynamic Duo. Nothing can stop us." He boasted playfully, with a lopsided grin.

"I seem to recall you both falling unconscious from the Breaches strength." Solas said lightly.

"Ah, but you see," Artemis chimed in with an identical smile. "We were merely lulling the Breach into a false sense of security. Lowering it's guard."

Solas chuckled, and Varric grinned even wider than he had before.

"Yep," he said. "I'm going to get along with you two just fine."

The four continued to banter for a short while, Artemis being surprisingly talkative and friendly for her normal reserved self, until a scout interrupted them with a message from Leliana. The twins headed back to the chantry after a quick goodbye.

"Aww, Artie, you're making friends with people!" Apollo teased as they walked. "You're going native! I never thought you had it in you."

She rolled her eyes, and elbowed him in the ribs. "Very funny, Pol."

Even though he was joking, he really was proud of the fact that she actually had a pleasant conversation with people who weren't Dalish. She was very reserved and shy, and she barely talked to members of the clan, let alone anyone else. In the past few days, she had really opened up to the people of Haven- the few that didn't call them knife ears upon first sight, that is.

* * *

Cassandra was waiting for them at the entrance. As they reached her, she turned silently and motioned for them to follow her through the chantry. As they trailed behind her, she noticed Apollo rubbing at his right hand.

"Does it hurt?"

"Not really, not anymore. It felt like someone was stabbing my palm with a jagged, rusty knife before we attempted to close the Breach. Now it's more like I'm placing my hand just a little too close to an open fire."

"That still sounds rather... Unpleasant." Cassandra said.

"It is." Apollo and Artemis said at the same time.

Cassandra went silent for a moment, and then, changing the subject, said, "Solas believes that if enough power is poured into your marks, a second attempt at closing the Breach could be successful."

"Yes, let's pour copious amounts of magic into our hands. What's the worst thing that could happen?" Apollo chuckled.

"Hold on to that sense of humor." Cassandra smiled- actually smiled- at him. "It may be the only thing that gets you through this."

They had stopped at the same door the twins had eavesdropped on earlier. Cassandra opened the door and led them inside.

The first person they noticed was Cullen, who was standing directly across the room. They saw Leliana to his left, and a strange woman in rich golden clothes.

Cassandra pointed at the woman. "This is Josephine Montilyet, Ambassador and chief diplomat to the Inquisition. Josephine, this is Apollo and Artemis of clan Lavellan."

" _Andaran atish'an_ " She said with a nod.

" _Andaran atish'an_ ," Artemis said back automatically. "You know elvish?"

"I'm afraid you've heard the majority of it." She gave a soft laugh. "I'm sorry."

" _Ir abelas_." Apollo smiled.

"What does that mean?" Josephine asked.

"It means, 'I'm sorry'" Apollo said. "Now you know another phrase. We'll work on it." He turned back to Cassandra.

The warmaiden pointed at Cullen. "You remember the Commander, do you not?"

Cullen nodded to both of the elves. "Cullen Rutherford. We met briefly on the field. I'm pleased you survived."

"And you know Leliana," Cassandra continued.

"My position here holds a degree of -" Leliana started, but was interrupted by Cassandra.

"She is our spymaster." The seeker said bluntly.

Leliana looked at her pointedly for a moment, and said, "Tactfully put, Cassandra."

Apollo nodded his head in greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet you all," he said.

Artemis bowed her head, as well, but didn't say anything. Apollo figured she had clammed up from being in front of these intimidating, tall humans. If he didn't know he had to carry the conversation, he probably would have, too. But someone had to be strong. Time for him to do his brotherly duty and take it like a man.

"I mentioned that your marks need more power to close the Breach for good," Cassandra said.

"Which means we must approach the rebel mages for help," Leliana interjected.

Cullen sighed, like they had had this conversation before, which they probably had. "I still disagree." He said. "The templars could serve just as well."

Cassandra sighed, as well. "We need power, Commander. Enough magic poured into the marks-"

"Might destroy us all." Cullen said. "Templars could suppress the Breach, weaken it, so-"

Leliana interrupted. "Pure speculation."

There was that whiplash again, Apollo thought.

"I was a templar," Cullen's voice lowered. "I know what they're capable of."

Josephine finally spoke up. "Unfortunately," she said in her lilting accent, "Neither group will even speak to us, yet. The chantry has denounced the Inquisition, and you two, specifically." She pointed at the twins.

"Wow, already?" Apollo said, feeling more than a little proud.

"They still think we're guilty." Artemis asked, more a statement than a question.

"That is not the entirety of it, any longer," Josephine said. "Some have taken to calling you the Heralds of Andraste. That frightens the Chantry. The remaining clerics have declared it blasphemy, and we, heretics for harboring you."

"Wait, what?" Apollo asked, dumbfounded.

"Chancellor Roderick's doing, no doubt." Cassandra said with a slight huff.

Josephine sighed. "It limits our options. Approaching the mages or the templars for help is currently out of the question."

Apollo raised his hands out. "Lets go back to that 'heralds' business," He said. "How are _we_ supposed to be Andraste's messengers? If you hadn't noticed, we're Dalish. You know, the forest barbarians covered in tattoos? We don't even believe in your gods."

The warmaiden sighed. She seemed to do that a lot, Apollo noticed. "People saw what you did at the temple. How you stopped the Breach from growing. They have also heard about the woman that was seen in the rift you two came out of. The people believe that was Andraste."

"Even if we tried to stop their view from spreading-" Leliana started, before Cassandra cut her off.

"Which we have not."

Leliana continued. "The point it, everyone is talking about it."

Cullen let out a chuckle at the twins' shared looks of exasperation. "It's quite the title, isn't it?"

"Quite." Artemis said, and then turned to her brother. "Keeper isn't going to like this. They're going to hear about how the shems are using us to close the sky in their god's name."

"Keeper will understand." Apollo grimaced. "She'll have to." His grimace turned into a thoughtful expression in a split second, and he turned to Cassandra. "May we write a letter to the clan? To let them know we're all right? And that we're not being held hostage by your lovely Inquisition?"

"Of course," Cassandra said. "We shall send word as soon as you wish."

" _Ma serannas_ ," he said. "Is there anything we should be doing now that we've decided on saving the world?"

"Yes, actually." Leliana said. "A Chantry cleric by the name of Mother Giselle has asked to speak to you. She is not far, in the Hinterlands, and know those involved in the Chantry far better than I. Her assistance could be invaluable."

"Anything to help. When do we leave?" Apollo asked. He was pretty excited to hear that he was needed outside of Haven. He missed traveling in the wilderness.

"As soon as possible. I will send scouts ahead to make sure the area is safe. When I receive the all-clear, I will let you know." The Spymaster said.

"Why would the area not be safe?" He almost didn't want to know the answer.

The Commander spoke before Leliana could open her mouth. "The rebel mages and the templars are at war, and the Hinterlands is the main battleground. I'm sure that you'll see many of each faction in your travels."

Apollo groaned. "Of course," he said. "Well, I guess that's that. Hinterlands, get ready. Because here we come."


	4. Places to Go, People to Kill

**Sorry for taking such a long time uploading this. i had about half a chapter started that was completely different from this, but all my work was deleted and when i tried to recreate it, i couldn't get even close to what i had, and got frustrated, and gave up. But I think what i wrote is better than before, so there's that. I also edited the previous chapters, so if you'd like to go back and reread those, there are just a few changes in dialogue, and in grammar.**

 **Anywhoo, enjoy this new chapter~**

* * *

Ch 4) places to go, people to kill

-Apollo-

A total of eight uneventful days passed before a raven returned from the Hinterlands and Leliana cleared the group to leave, and Apollo couldn't have been happier. The twins had been growing restless in the small village, and everyone knew it.

How he missed climbing trees and digging his toes into the soft earth. Haven was so cold, and was unable to swing his way up the sad, lifeless, ice-covered trees in the surrounding area. He had a feeling that, should he try, one of two things would happen: the first being that either his large clunky boots or the slick branches would cause him to slip and fall, and in the process, break every brittle bone in his tiny elven body or the second, that his handlers would panic themselves to death, and he couldn't have that on his conscience.

Commander Cullen had decided early on that the twins were too valuable an asset no to protect, and had assigned soldiers to keep watch over them. Apollo understood, even though he didn't appreciate it. They were wild, unpredictable Dalish elves. And to top things off even further, he was a mage. An apostate mage, at that. Add a unremovable key to the Beyond on his left hand, and, well, you get the point.

Apollo grabbed his traveling bag, swinging it over his shoulder, and headed out the door of his small living space. He had been told that the Hinterlands had a warmer climate, and he couldn't wait to be able to feel grass beneath his feet once again. He was almost giddy with excitement.

He stepped out into the cold, barren wasteland that was Haven, and shivered. Taking a glance around, he spotted his sister with Cullen by the gates. He jogged over to them with a smile.

"Are you ready to feel the ground beneath your toes, dear sister?" He asked, noticeably excited at the prospect.

"Mm," Artemis replied. She always seemed to clam up in front of humans, barely speaking a word. She resorted to breathy mumbles and occasionally a few words in Elven when she wanted to talk to Apollo. He would find it worrying if he didn't find it incredibly amusing.

"Ah, um, hello Herald," Cullen said. Why was he blushing? "I was just warning Lady Lavellan of the infighting that you will most likely encounter in the Hinterlands. The apostate mages and the rogue Templars are not a threat to be taken lightly." He coughed. "I should take my leave, I see Cassandra heading over. Have a safe trip, my lady. And, uh, herald. Safe trip to you both."

The two watched him hurry off back to the training grounds.

Apollo chuckled. "I think he likes you. Should I have the big brother talk with him?"

"Don't you dare." Artemis was bright red from the tips of her ears all the way down to her neck. "He doesn't like me. He just wants the marks to be safe. We're no good to him or the Inquisition if we're dead."

"Mmhmm. That's why he gets all flustered and stutters up a storm when he makes an excuse to talk to you."

"Oh just stop!" Artemis gasped, throwing her arms up in dismay. "I can't talk about this!"

"Can't talk about what?" Varric appeared behind them, followed by Solas and Cassandra.

"She can't talk about her big cru-" Artemis slapped her hands over Apollos mouth quickly.

" _Fen'Harel ma halam!_ " She exclaimed, shooting him daggers with her eyes.

Solas chuckled along with Apollo at the curse.

Cassandra ushered them out the gates, ignoring their shenanigans as per usual. She was never one to waste time.

The group made it to the camp at sunset. Cassandra immediately excused herself to the tent she was to be sharing with Artemis. Apollo watched her all day as she increasingly got more and more irritated at his and Varric's jokes, which he would admit, were pretty dumb. Hey, he needed to pass the day somehow, and if puns about trees kept the day more interesting, then she would have to deal.

He sat down at the fire with Varric, Solas, and Artemis, and began untying his shoes.

"Whatcha doing, Ember?" Varric asked, a curious expression on his face.

"I am going to roll in that grass," He said, pointing towards a grassy area slightly away from camp. "You don't understand how long it's been since I've had a good frolic in the meadows." He removed his armored coat and rolled up his pant legs to his mid calves. Now only in a light traveling tunic with sleeves rolled up to his forearms, and his pants, he let out a satisfied sigh. "Also, Varric, find me a better nickname. Something cool, like 'the destroyer of demons' or something."

Varric chuckled, "Sure thing." He turned to Artemis. "Are you going to have a frolic in the daisies, too, Willow?"

She shook her head. "As much as I'd love to, I'm flat exhausted. I don't think I could frolic right now if my life depended on it." She had discarded her boots, though, as soon as they arrived at camp. "I think I'll retire for the night. _Dareth thenara, ma lin_." She stood up from the log she was perched on, and went to the tent.

" _Dareth thenara_ ," Apollo stood as well, and made his way to the clearing. "Ah, this is the life," he exclaimed as he threw himself onto the soft earth.

"Hey, before I lose you to the dirt, who are you rooming with tonight?" Varric asked, approaching the elf, who now had a smear of dirt on his face and a few twigs in his messy curly hair.

"Would it be alright if I slept out here under the stars? I mean, closer to camp, of course. I just don't want to go back in a stuffy tent or a stuffy room or put those awful boots back on ever again."

Varric chuckled. "Sure thing, Twigs. I'll let the scout on watch know you're out here," he said. "Try not to get packed off by a bear, or a giant spider, or a demon."

"Yeah, yeah, if I start to get packed off, I'll deserve it." Apollo paused. "Did you change my nickname to Twigs?"

"You've got some twigs in your hair."

Apollo patted his head, and pulled out a twig. "So I do." He said. "Well, _dareth thenara_ , Varric."

"Higgley piggly to you too, Twigs."

Varric left him alone, and Apollo sat up from his now flattened grass pile. He wondered if the lake was close enough for him to clean up, and decided to ask a scout.

 **[A/N In this story, they start out at the Upper Lake camp by the lake. For my own convenience. Let it happen. Thanks~]**

He was escorted by the scout that greeted them to the camp initially (He had forgotten her name, but was too embarrassed to ask again) to the edge of Lake Luthias. She was polite enough to leave him alone for his bath, but made him promise to alert her should anything happen.

Apollo soaked in the water for a while, enjoying the quiet peace of nature. After his bath, he washed his dirty, grass stained clothes, and threw them back on after magicking them slightly dryer with his hands. He returned to the scout, and said his goodnights to her as he looked for a comfortable spot near the camp.

Sleeping under the stars has never felt more right, he thought as he lay on the ground looking up at the night sky. And I have never felt more homesick.

* * *

-Artemis-

Artemis woke up as soon as the sun rose. She always had. That was a Dalish hunter's way of life. Rise with the sun, and sleep after it set. Her brother never had to hardwire that into his brain. Of course, he had his own set of rules and rituals as a Keeper's first, and she didn't envy the long list of duties and expectations the Keeper set for him. There was never a week that would go by where he wasn't complaining about the list of things he had to do. Keeper Istimaethoriel was a stern teacher, and expected the best from her first. She taught him to read and write in Elvhen and Trade, taught him the ways of magic, including a brief course in _Dirth'ena Enasalin_ , before she decided he was too reckless and that she would teach him more of that particular form of magic later.

Artemis could barely read trade tongue, let alone write it. She was grateful that Apollo did, or they might never had gotten a chance to send word of their safety. She was always grateful for her brother. They may look exactly alike, but they were as different as night and day in most aspects. He could read, write, make friends, trust in others. She didn't like to talk a lot. She preferred to stay in the shadows. At least she could aim better than him. He was a terrible shot with a bow. He was also quite clumsy, another difference between them. She was very proud of her grace, and her ability to step lightly and not trip on air, as her brother tended to do.

She snickered to herself as she stepped out of her tent in search of breakfast.

"Morning, Willow," Varric said as she stepped towards the fire in search of food. "What's got you in such a chipper mood this morning?"

"Just a funny thought." She replied. "Where's breakfast? And my brother?"

Varric handed her two bowls. "Breakfast is right here, and Twigs made a nest over in that area, I think," he said, motioning off towards the edge of camp.

She ate her food as she made her way to where Varric pointed towards. She found Apollo laying sprawled out on the grass, nestled in between a tree and the cliff wall.

Setting the bowls on the ground, she nudged her brother awake lightly.

Apollo woke slowly, and as he propped himself up into a sitting position, he grumbled, "Remind me to never sleep on the bare ground again. My back hurts like a bitch."

Artemis laughed quietly. "You'd better wake up and get ready, Cassandra will probably want us to head out soon to speak with the revered mother."

He let out a groan. "You do the talking today."

"You know that I can't," she said. "I'd sooner rip off my own ears than have to listen to some shemlen hahren tell me what I already know." She meant it.

Apollo sighed dramatically, "I guess I'll have to, then. To save your pretty little ears." He grinned, and poked her left ear, just hard enough to tickle.

Sure enough, Cassandra called for them soon after, and Artemis watched Apollo scarf down his food before they got up to meet up with them.

They were to meet the revered mother at the crossroads, but when they got there, all they found was chaos. They had to fight their way through Templars and rebel mages alike, along with hired swords. Artemis always found a release in fighting. She could let herself go as she sunk her daggers into an enemy's back, or notched an arrow into somebody's throat. The fighting was over too soon, and she busied herself with looting the dead bodies as her brother played diplomat with the chantry crone.

Varric had decided to help her find anything worth any value amidst the war zone. They had managed to find a good sum of gold on some of the corpses (mainly the hired swords) and a few fancy rings inscribed with magic. She didn't talk very much, but Varric made up for that with jokes. He managed to get a few good laughs out of her before they had finished, due to a bad play on words.

She had just finished stripping one of the templars or their belt when her brother came jogging over.

"We're going to Val Royeaux as soon as Lady Montilyet can get us an audience with the chantry." He huffed. "I bet you eight gold pieces that at least three people call us knife-ear, or halla fucker."

"Halla fucker?" She chuckled. "Where did you hear that one?"

"Some shem bumped into me at the conclave before all shit went down and called me that. I think he hit me, too." He grinned. "I think that's gotta be my favorite insult."

"Ten gold that they call us something worse," Artemis replied dryly.

Apollo laughed. "Probably. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. Since we've gotta wait for the Lady Ambassador to get us an audience, we've decided to stay here for a little while. It shouldn't be long. Solas and Cassandra think we should help the people here, and I agree. We also have to go talk to the horsemaster, Dennet, I think his name was? To supply the Inquisition with horses. And Leliana sent a message to look for a Warden that's been seen around the area. Blackwall, was his name."

"Blackwall?" Artemis wondered where she'd heard the name before. "Oh! That man over there was talking about a Warden around these parts. I think he's supposed to be around our camp, actually."

Apollo smiled. "That's great news. I was afraid that we'd have to spend a week scouring the Hinterlands in search of him. I wonder if he has a beard." He hugged her, and then jogged back to Cassandra to tell her the news.

* * *

-Apollo-

They spent a whole week in the Hinterlands, and Apollo was actually somewhat missing Haven. They had helped villagers fend from the cold, and kept them well supplied, found the horsemaster, and even convinced him to join their cause in Haven, after some persuasion and promises of watchtowers being built in the surrounding area.

They had closed so many rifts that Apollo's hand felt like it was constantly burning, and he was sure that Artemis was feeling the same, even though he tried to take more of them himself. He wasn't going to tell anyone else, though. Creators forbid he hurt a bit, if he told Cassandra she'd probably send for a medic, and that wouldn't do him any good at all.

They even made the roads safer for refugees by clearing out the rebel mages and templars from their encampments, which was an ordeal in itself, as Apollo had his mana drained twice by the stupid templars and had been shallowly stabbed in the shoulder when he used himself as a shield to protect Solas from a sneaky templar. The wound was easily healed with magic, but it still hurt like a motherfucker.

On their third day in the Hinterlands, they found Blackwall. They made their way around the lake to find him training some conscripts to fight the bandits that were plaguing the land.

He did in fact have a beard.

It was glorious.

They asked him about missing Wardens, for which he gave no useful reply. After the interrogation that was leading them nowhere, he asked to join the cause, and Apollo gladly accepted his offer. Blackwall was an interesting man. He was quiet and reserved, until someone (read Varric and/or Apollo) made a raunchy joke, and then his lighter-hearted side came out. All in all, Apollo thought he was fine company, and was glad that he had a new friend in the Inquisition.

On day seven, a messenger bird arrived calling them back to Haven. Apollo was surprisingly happy about the prospect of going back to Haven. It meant that he would be able to get an ale or two at the tavern, and give himself a proper hot bath. So that very day, the group packed up and left back to the small village that was quickly becoming home, with high spirits and a Warden in tow.

* * *

 _'Fen'Harel ma halam_ '- basically 'dread wolf end you'

' _Dareth thenara, ma lin_ '- literally 'safe dreams, my blood'. I strung the phrase together with the words from the wiki. I wanted a kind of 'good night, fam' but there wasn't really anything that really fit. I'm using 'blood' as, like, a familial term. Probably not how it's supposed to be used, but whatever. Artemis is supposed to talk more in Elven than in trade tongue. Be prepared for more horribly strung together Elven sentences.


End file.
